Scars that Never Fade
by Sova Star
Summary: A monthly romantic one shot series involving Bruce and Selina learning how to trust, mend the wounds that can't be healed by stitches and finally unmask their hearts and weaknesses.
1. Chapter 1

**Scars that Never Fade**

**All characters belong to Christopher Nolan and DC Comics**

**I do not own any of these wonderful characters**

**A small Post The Dark Knight Rises series involving Bruce and Selina mending their wounds and hearts.  
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><p><strong>-1-<strong>

**Pain**

Bruce Wayne, the daring dreamboat and elusive prince of Gotham, stood motionless in the center of the shower stall, inhaling the foggy steam sculpting around his battered body. He wanted to make the water scolding as possible, it was the best way of ridding the penetrating throbbing igniting through his body. The lingering pressure of the bullet wound from Harvey Dent's gun still pulsed in his side, the string from a slash of a knife on his shoulder from the Joker's blade, bruises of broken ribs poking underneath layers of flesh of his scarred torso. The deep gash caused by Talia al Ghul's dagger. The wound was imbedded in the muscle his right side just above his appendix. Finally the tension rattling through his injured back. Pain made him stronger. Alive.

Closing his exhausted hazel eyes, Bruce allowed the hot beads of water to soak through his dark hair, making the pounding trepidation of his skull ease, he was lost in thought, haunted by the essence of true evil that gripped and twisted his mortality. He pressed his elbow against the ceramic wall, feeling the gushing water cascaded over his back, allowing the blood of wounds to wash down the drain.

His strong and athletic masculine form tensed as numbness crept into his veins, he parted his lips, feeling the hot rush of water seep down his throat, as he panted for breath and tried to fight the infuriating pain. Emotional and physically.

He was on the verge of reaching an unhealthy state.

_The breaking point._

Everything was spiraling around him, making his body feel unbalanced and restless. He had gone through a stage of a healing process a thousand miles away from Gotham, Florence Italy. The doctors spoke little English and joked about reading a book about his collection of bodily injuries he sustained, but his fierce stubbornness pushed him away from the physiotherapists and neurosurgeons, he grumbled and fought until he finally gave into the pain and decided to mend his bones by his own methods. Rehabilitation sessions he learn through the months of his training with the League of Shadows.

Bruce was becoming hot with feverish symbols, unthinking and rigid, that he did not hear, the glass shower door gently open against the stream. His head was pointed down, eyes clenched shut and lips snarled tightly into a scowl as he tilted his head back, pulsing beads of water pattered over his fasten lips. Drenched chestnut bangs covered most of his forehead as spat up watery blood, feeling the metallic taste rise up his raw throat.

He was fighting an infection.

_Pain, grief and regret._

His lips slowly broke apart, inhaling heavy intakes of steam to break the fever, and then Bruce found himself pressed against a firm body. He kept his eyes closed, as dainty hands enclosed around his broad shoulders. He flicked his eyes opened, blinking away the rushing water and found himself trapped in a beautiful gaze of the dark caramel eyes of Selina Kyle, his lover, equal partner and comfort.

Her lithe body was fully exposed, pale freckled skin flushed by the heat wavering between them, her long rich chocolate locks had gracefully fallen over her shoulders. She curved her full scarlet red lips into a beautiful smile as he turned her into his solid arms and made her rest a cheek over his chest. His heart.

He narrowed a tender gaze of molten hazel at her exquisite features, watching her dark piercing eyes close as the steam folded around their bodies.

Selina fluttered her lashes opened, and slowly rubbed her thumb over his chin, wiping off the line of blood.

His jaw tensed and then twitched against her soothing touch, "I was trying to rid the chills," he said, softly with a frustrated breath.

She looked at the blood on his drenched skin, "This isn't the best way to rid an infection, handsome." She wrapped her arms tighter around him. "This is my remedy." She softly covered his mouth with a tentative and wet kiss, and his knuckles rubbed over her back as he kissed her back with relief.

Drops of water cascaded down the jagged curves of his angular face and down her neck as he plunged deeper into her mouth, gently brushing her tongue with his, her hands gripped the dark strands of his soaked hair touching the base of his neck.

He broke away, and then met her misty gaze with intensified hunger gleaming in his eyes.

Selina instantly curved her red lips into a guilty smirk, knowing that she just started something deadly.

Bruce leaned his head in forward, his throat rubbing over her shoulder, and his extremely soft lips trailed down the side of her neck, throat and collar-bone. His hand roamed under her curves as he pulled her closer, and then enveloped his watery lips over hers, he kissed her with sensual pleasantry.

She pushed his soaked hair back off his forehead and out of his hazel eyes, the steam with blanketing over them as his kiss became intense until her lips melted against the heat of his scorching and devouring mouth. Selina felt her body hum as his hand slayed over her stomach, and she pressed herself fully against his hard torso, knowing that she had just broken his fever.

When he broke away, his chiseled-edged features became snug and steady hands framed the sides of her face, he dropped a gentle kiss on her brow, and watched her eyes slowly opened as his serene hazel orbs became clear of the darkness and pain stirring through him.

"How do you feel?" she asked, with a faint whisper. Her caramel eyes searching in the stillness of his stare.

Bruce cupped his hand over her jaw and gave her an assuring smile. "Better." he replied sincerely , before his warm lips melted against hers once again.

He closed his eyes and allowed her lips to take all the pain away.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

Tears

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><p>Violent rain poured over their bodies, soaking through their skin. Selina's dark chocolate hair curled into sleek ringlets as she closed her brown eyes, holding him as tightly as she could allow herself to. A hand rested on his chest, feeling the pounding of his strong and yet wounded heart.<p>

He gripped her upper arm, squeezing as the drenched dark strands of his hair brushed over her pale cheek, bangs fell into his solemn hazel eyes as he tasted the rain trickling down his throat when he parted his scowling lips and breathed out his frustrations.

She pressed her lips to his neck, applying heat to the frigid skin and he slammed his eyes shut, as the tails of his long coat gathered the water from the puddles beneath them.

Shadows folded around them as petals of roses that were placed on the exact spot of where his parents' lives were taken by two bullets sailed to the drain.

"I'm here," she whispered softly, threading her gloved fingers through his soak locks. "You can cry if you need to, handsome. It will be our little secret."

Bruce dug his face into her chest, and unleashed his tears, "It was my fault," he sounded so young. "I got scared... It's because of my fear they were taken from me." He quivered as tears rolled down his sharp cheeks, landing in the puddles, creating ripples.

Selina lifted his chin up, cradling his face in her hands, she brushed away his tears with a soft caress of her finger under his eyes, she looked tenderly into the hazel orbs and saw his pain and grief. He placed his hand on her jaw, and leaned his forehead until he felt the coldness of her skin penetrate his brow.

"Do you miss them?" she asked in a soothing whisper, trying to keep her stern and cold emotions.

"Every day," he replied, embracing his arms around her.

Selina scooped up a rose out of the water and looked at the crimson petals as she secured the flower in her hand, and then met his eyes, noting that the shimmering gold of passion had faded into shades of remorseful green. She stared into his darkened world and discovered his dread.

"You're not alone," she confessed, giving him a weak smile. The best she could come up with at the moment.

He returned the smile as it reached his endearing eyes, and then curved his arm around her neck, and tilting her head back as she swallowed drops of rain.

Their chilled lips touched as warmth came back into their bodies.

Selina placed her hand on his heart, and they deepened into the kiss as their scarred souls mended in the rain.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Crimson**

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><p>"You're an idiot, Wayne?" Selina growled, her voice firm and disgusted. She carefully dabbed the dishcloth over his slip lip, watching the white cotton absorb the blood. He was sitting on the edge of a circular mahogany table in the middle of her apartment, chest bare and strong legs covered in frayed jeans. "You're supposed to be a dead man. Not a street brawler. That's not who you are anymore."<p>

Bruce narrowed his eyes, "What was I suppose to do, leave the girl choking on her own blood. If I hadn't acted she would be dead, Selina." He growled, his voice dark and firm. "I did what was right. I saved her life."

"Yeah, you saved her life, but those bastards almost shot your ass." She shot back, tracing his bottom lip with the cloth. "Sometimes you can be a stupid, impulsive man." She gave him an honest glare with her dark brown eyes. He stared at her with his own infuriated, intent and fierce hazel green orbs. "You need to stop pretending that you're invincible."

He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you care about my life, Selina?"

She narrowed her head down, "Because I already watched someone break you, Bruce. I refuse to watch that happen again." She replied with a hint of harden conviction in her voice. She sighed. "Your life is precious and I don't want you to waste it with another death wish." Her words fell away.

The blood on his lip trailed to his strong chin and slowly made its trek down his throat. He wrapped her wrist, pulling the cloth away from his mouth.

"What?" she growled, lip snarling into a scowl. "I'm trying to clean up your mess."

"Stop." He rasped, words tearing at his raw throat. He looked intently into her coffee orbs and placed his hand on her ivory cheek. "Just stop, Lina."

"You're bleeding all over my nice clean floor." she drawled, pointing at the spatters of blood on the floorboards. "I'm spending all night cleaning up your mess."

His hand covered her mouth. "Can we stop talking?" He asked, leaning in close, dipping his head and covering her lips softly.

The kiss started slow, tentative and then fierce. Then she pressed herself against him, breasts rubbed over his chest as they went deeper. Mixtures of heat and bloody moisture curled in their mouths. His hands roamed over the thin lines of her waist and gripped the curves of her hips. He wrapped her into an embrace, curling her tighter against him and her arms instantly coiled around his broad neck, as fingers kneaded his drenched locks.

A wild growl rumbled through his body as he rocked her in his arms, with irresistible heat shielding her lithe frame. Sweat poured out of him—glistening his tarnished and scarred skin.

He was becoming a hot and sweaty mess.

He pulled her closer, their tongues stroked and waltzed inside their mouths, she released a content sigh warming his blood.

His hand threaded her shiny, mahogany curls, knuckles dug into the ridges of her spine. They kissed each other with hunger, intense, explosive as the pain dissolved the moment her hands gripped his biceps with an assuring squeeze of her strength. She broke away, cheeks flushed and lips stained with his blood. His hazel green eyes burned, searing through her as she traced her finger over his mouth.

"Just promise me that next time you decide to play hero," she leaned in close, licking the beautiful shape of his upper lip. "You bring me out to play." she whispered hotly against his jaw.

"Deal." he growled, with heavy pants and a deep growl. He crushed her lips with another breathless kiss.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Nightmares**

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><p>Selina always has nightmares that haunt her. She fights against the harrowing dread coursing in her veins every single night; her twisting soul becomes immune to the depth of black and white images of old ghosts-dipped into puddles of blood. There are exceptions, every now and then, when she finds herself curling up against the warmth of his strong body or the smoldering, suckling kisses he drops on her ivory skin after a hot shower.<p>

Those romantic moments become impermanent and desperate to her cat-like nature-she tries to run from the demons hunting her down-tries to escape from the chains dragging her in shades of her sins. But every time she searches for a key to unlock her door of freedom, she finds it covered with stains of spilled blood.

Bruce knows that she'll never become a deep sleeper, he's prepared every night for her-blankets capture the heat as it radiates off his muscular frame, a cup of tea with a touch of milk and lavender lotion imported from Paris.

He also has his nightmares to conceal, scars to mend and bruises etched on his skin.

He becomes a victim of her deepest fears every time he tries to keep her from drowning in the delusional state of mind; Selina always wakes up terrified and lashes out like a ferocious panther, of course, there are some nights when she wakes up angry and bitter instead of allowing the fear to consume her. But has months pass and trust becomes necessary for their conventional relationship to survival in a normal world-the nightmares seem less frequent -he finds a way to search deeper inside the murky grays of her soul and gives her freedom.

Selina wakes up for now and searches for him in the darkness; if Bruce isn't against her lithe body. Sometimes she catches him on the rooftop, crouching down and looking at the city lights with intense hazel-green eyes glinting in the shadows.

She never tries to disturb his brooding periods, she just leans against the door frame and waits for Bruce to notice her. She's usually guarded by her emotions-dressed in a black baby-doll gown and dark, rich hair always cascades off her bare shoulders. Bruce is always advancing closer to her in tentative strides and wraps his strong arms around her, holding her close and coaxes her mouth with moist kisses. After he rubs her scarred back in lazy patterns of his circles-it lulls her to sleep for a few hours while he sits in the darkness and watches the distress cast over her beauty. It's something they share together as equal partners.

Bruce has his own demons to wrestle with in his sleep. He never tells Selina about them, he doesn't want her to worry because maybe Selina will not be able to understand his nightmares or even handle them.

His dreams always start with two shots in the dark and pearls spilling into puddles of blood. The deafening sound of laughter echoes in the alley as he kneels in between the bodies of his lifeless parents-he screams out his pain and feels the tears fall steadily down his cheeks. They never go away.

He wakes in a gasp, breath drains quickly from his lungs and body is slack with a layer of sweat. He places his hand on his chest, and feels the pound of his erratic heart pushing the muscle against his fingers. He closes his eyes, counts his breath and then looks at Selina -the seductive curve of her red lips and the pales of her skin. She takes the pain, torment and remorse way and he displays his gratitude by capturing her still lips with a chase kiss.

He knows he will never be free of his guilt, it always lurks in his veins and seeps into his wounded heart.

Sometimes he has dreams that switch into nightmares, the worst kind-memories and fear mixed into a configuration of something toxic for the mind to grasp. It's memories of the Joker, he sees the pale white makeup, souless dark eyes and the marred lips stained with shades of blood from his misfortune victims. He hears the insane laugher and smells the rotten stench of death-it consumes all senses and harbors vengeance. The worst part of the glimpses of his darkest demon is that he falls into a delirium of seeing images of Gotham burning and husks of bodies smoking in the alleys with Joker cards marking them as more victims.

Bruce always snaps his eyes open and latches his hazel eyes on Selina's face-it's like the morning dawn to him.

"Did you have another nightmare, handsome?" Selina asks, her voice hazed with sleep. She opens her dark coffee orbs and meets his gaze into the darkness. He curves his lips into a broad smile, leans in closer and kisses her gently as she closes her eyes.

"Just a bad dream, kitten." he replies in a soft rasp, he rolls on his sore back and slowly drifts away with her pressing against him.

The next morning he awakes, her mouth is resting over his heart, there are no bruises or signs of distress on their bodies just sunlight.

He strokes his fingers through her ringlets and drops his lips on her head-they stay close together, they allow the bright rays of dawn to fully wake them up -it's assurance to their weary hearts that it's a new day, and Bruce is happy and grateful they survived another night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Weapons**

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><p>"I don't like guns," Bruce growls out with a chilling voice, his thinned straight lips alter into a tight grimace. He stares down at the loaded pistol gun resting on her suitcase, his muscles tense and hazel-green eyes lock on the black metal weapon. "They bring me nothing but grief." he says with a hint of cold remorse scraping against his throat.<p>

Selina stands rigidly in front of the vanity mirror, sunlight caresses over her ivory skin and lithe frame is covered in a black silk dress, her dark coffee eyes narrow slightly down as she releases a shallow breath and fingers absently rub over the string of pearls around her neck. She keeps her voice locked away for those long moments of silence between them. It's unnerving, but effective.

She finally lifts her head up, staring at her reflection in the glass of the mirror, she feels like a stranger to herself-a domesticated stray wearing an expensive collar of her owner-a woman trapped in the illusions of the normal world. Blinking her painted, curled lashes, she stares deeper into the visage-searching for her true self beneath the layers of flawless skin and fading scars. She turns on her heels, and meets his intense stare, swallows and then says her piece with the fierce demeanor of the cat. "I use guns to survive-that's how it's always worked with my methods." She mashes her teeth into her bottom lip, trying to grasp the control of the situation. "You wouldn't understand what I've done with a few bullets in order to save myself from falling into a grave."

"I might," he concedes, tentatively moving closer to her. "If you just stop keeping secrets from me and tell me, Selina."

She snaps her brown eyes away from his soulful gaze, feeling it burn into her wounded, cold heart. "I never tell..." she bites back, folding her trim arms protectively over her ample breasts. «I always show. But I never tell."

Bruce lowers his head down, "If we want this to work-we need to unmask ourselves fully. We need to stop hiding from each other and starting building a strong relationship."

Selina sighs quietly, almost like a breath. "What I've done in the past can't be raked off with the Clean Slate. I've been a bad girl all my life, handsome. I've done some things that are unforgivable to good people." She unveils looking warily past Bruce and to the hotel doorway. "I'm trying to clean off my ledger by fully wiping my past away-"

Bruce's eyebrows furrow. "By what killing people with that gun-" he rasps darkly and points at the weapon. He clenches his jaw hard enough for her to see his aggression. "You know that's not the answer."

"What's yours, huh?" she challenges him, shooting him with a lethal glower of hollow darkness. "This is how I survive... How I live, Bruce."

Bruce stiffens, gritting his teeth. "Don't cross another line that you can't fall back on, Selina." he warns with the gravelly voice of the Bat. "You're better than this, I know you are. Stop allowing the vengeance control you and start living a life without the past chasing you down."

"That's a tempting offer, Bruce." she says in a perfected sultry purr-it feels like velvet against his ears as she whispers. "But I'm already sinking in the deep. And the only way out is to claw my way back up."

"Selina," Bruce inches closer, her defensive nature is kicking in but he doesn't yield, he grabs her before she can run and wraps his strong, muscular arms around her. "You can try to climb back up, but fear will always find you." he whispers over the shell of her ear with a gentle brush of his lips. "I know you are afraid to take a leap with me-but you don't have to be, I give you those pearls not because they looked better on you than in a safe bet because I know the real woman under the mask- and I can see every time I look into your eyes, Selina Kyle. I don't care about the mistakes you've made in your past. I've done plenty with mine as well."

Selina glances down at her heels, heart slams against her ribs and she huffs out a breath of irritation. "Stop sounding righteous." She lifts her head and glares him down; anger clouds the softness she forces to hide from him. "Do you think I care about your past?"

"No," he breathes out with an edge lacing in his deep voice. His fingers grip over her upper arms. "I'm not expecting you to, Selina."

Selina's eyes grew wide, she wrenches a step back. "Just like that? You take me in your arms and pretend that nothing is wrong?" she stares at him with a pointed look. "That everything we did in Gotham means nothing to us now..."

"I'm trying to adapt to a new life," Bruce says with a soft brisk in his tone. "Away from all the darkness and the pain that Gotham has given to me."

She snorts, minutely shaking her head. She chews on her lip and releases a sigh, "That's not the answer I want, Bruce."

"Well, it's all you're going to get from me," he replies in a serious tone. Her brown eyes dim. "You think you're the only here that had everything stolen-I lost everything," he ceases his words and rolls his sullen hazel eyes to the gun. "... Because of a gun."

"So did I," she digresses, her expression turning darker and complex. She keeps herself guarded from him and searches for her resolve in the afternoon bisecting the shadows of the room; she is staring at the crossroads-the straight and narrow lines that always pointed her to dangerous territory. "Now, I'm the one who pulls the trigger." She lowers her eyes, trying to make him understand. "I'm the one who steals from the demons and allows them to chase me."

Bruce caresses his palm on her jaw, his hazel eyes search for her soul beyond the murky darkness as he slides his hand slowly to the back of her neck and stares at her full, scarlet red lips-her most lethal weapon that could slay a man in an instant with just one look. "You've been running for a long time, Selina Kyle, but now you don't have to." his eyes gleam with trust. "You've got a home."

She shakes her head in disdain. 'No, Bruce." she begins, words clogging up her throat. "I won't drag you down with me. You're a good man and you don't deserve to live in this hell that surrounds me."

"I love you."

"Stop saying those words," her voice becomes damaged, she tries to break free, but she becomes frozen under his stare. "I'm dangerous-I'm a killer-umph-" she halts in her protest and feels his soft lips conjoin with hers with that split second movement, he slays her mouth with relentless heat as her fingers dig into the fabric of her shirt, she holds on to him and silently begs for him to let her go.

She feels the carnal urges to run and to hunt down her prey, but the heat emitting from his accepting mouth locks her against him. She gives in to the cushioned pleasure folding over her lips and finally allows herself to kiss him back with equal fervor, knowing that he is her shield against the flames of remorse trying to consume her back into the ashes of the past.

Bruce breaks away, gently licking her lips with his tongue, "I love you," he says with no hesitation in his strong, breathless voice. "I'm not afraid to face the fire with you."

Tears prick her eyes, she doesn't say anything, and instead she wraps her arms over the broad span of her shoulders and claims his lips with a deep and long kiss.

She knows that the strong and wounded heart underneath the tough, molten steel layers of the bat is his greatest weapon to use against her.


End file.
